8.

Post-project analysis and monitoring of the measure

An important and integral part of the environmental impact assessment is the so-called post-project analysis and monitoring of the measure. This stage follows the implementation of the project and is based on verifying whether the indicated impacts became evident as expected and whether the proposed measures lead to the elimination of negative effects on the environment. In the case of anomalies, new compensatory measures are proposed.

Monitoring (ideally of all compartments of the environment, but at least those potentially risky) is usually proposed for pre-construction period (1 year), during construction and after commissioning (1 to 5 years).

The good practice of environmental impact assessment includes a separate chapter containing the procedure of a post-project analysis and monitoring of the measure already in the phase of the EIA Report processing (applied, for example, in Slovakia). This chapter defines the areas or compartments of the environment that need to be monitored over the long term after implementation of the plan, including the procedure specification and justification. In the follow-up stages of project preparation (zoning documentation, building permission documentation), a separate document titled “Environmental Monitoring Project” is processed, which is regularly updated and contains specification of the monitored compartments, frequency of checks, and the methods used. This document is usually discussed with the nature conservation authority.

The specific output of the monitoring of proposed measures comprises two groups of equivalent information:

• Requirements for immediate adjustments or changes to the plan that need to be applied during or immediately after the implementation of the plan,
• Knowledge resulting from long-term observations that can be applied in the context of eliminating or mitigating the impact for similar type plans or sites.

Examples of requirements for immediate adjustments or changes to the plan:

• modification of parameters of noise control measures (most often the height and material of noise barriers) based on the measurement of the noise load of the territory,
• modification of operational parameters of the plans or installation of the so-called green barriers (vegetation strips), based on measurements of the pollutant load of the territory,
• modification of parameters of noise barrier or large glass areas to prevent collisions with birds, based on biomonitoring,
• modification of permanent strips providing guidance to migratory objects for small vertebrates, resulting from biomonitoring,
• adding of technical measures (oil separators, rain sedimentation tanks, retention reservoirs) on the basis of monitoring the quality and quantity of water discharged from the plan.

Experience and knowledge to prepare other similar projects:

• outputs from biomonitoring – such as the monitoring of animal migration (it often turns out that smaller facilities are needed for migration than is expected, but it always depends on the surroundings of migration facilities)
• also includes all items from the paragraph “Requirements for immediate adjustments or changes to the plan”